There’s a fine line between a re-creation and a knock-off. Make your Pontiac Fiero look like a Ferrari, for example, and that’s a blatant knock-off. But if you transform a Porsche to resemble another another, more expensive Porsche, well that’s a “re-creation” – a tribute, even, if we’re feeling charitable.
Like this car right here. It looks like a Porsche 959, but it’s not. Oh, it’s a Porsche alright, but without the trick all-wheel drive system, the twin turbochargers, 444 horsepower, or the near-200-mph top speed.
What you’re actually looking at is a 1983 Porsche 911 SC (that’s Super Carrera, incidentally, not supercharged) that was rebodied to look like a 959. Which isn’t far off, mind you, considering that the 959 was in reality essentially an enhanced 911. It looks pretty convincing, at least judging from the photos (snapped by Sean Smith for Auctions America), and is said to “perform flawlessly” – albeit not to 959 standards, of course.
The tribute Porsche is going up for auction at the end of this month in Fort Lauderdale, where it’s estimated to fetch between $25k and $30k. That’s only a fraction of the figures being paid for actual 959s these days: the last time Auctions America sold one was this past June, when it went for $1.25 million. And its sister house RM Sotheby’s recently sold one for a record $2 million. The estimate is about what 911 SCs are selling for these days, though. So consider the 959-style bodywork a bonus, if it tickles your fancy.
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